Drawing board structure



INVENTOR Ffa/72 Wa/ef I/V//he/m q ATTORNEY lwN l 2 1 WT@ l Mw .m HA 4 m9, Q U 1 m I 1% Q m 2 N E n .J V V R W. O m w mm QN R 1 P ||1T1 E T lllIJ ILII H S m 8. ,W W G d F. m F D v 4u vN\ NN NN l 6, w, wf h m @N S, M

F. w. WILHELM 1,949,521

DRAWING BOARD STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 8,' 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m nu C M w.wf f mm Mw il mw m wm mm m a Q Q vhx Ur f" L 1 n x, m m `Q""` 1 P e vNm I-- A FW N\.l1\ PIVIIIIHMWH wwmmxwllmmmll|l|l|l|u`h l, MN@ sIIITILVIIII March 6, 1934.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES rarer otros l y DRAWINGBOARD STRUCTURE Franz Walter Wilhelm, Swissvale, Pa. ApplicationDecember 8, 1930, Serial 1510.500309 8 Claims. (Cl. 45-131) My inventionrelates to drawing board structures and particularly to means forsupporting and moving the boards.

One object of my invention is to render less arduous the eiforts ofdraftsmen in connection with their work on drawing boards.

Another object of my invention is tov provide a structure that shall beconvertible from the form of an ordinary desk or table to the form of asloping drawing board structure with substantially a minimum of effortand in substantially a minimum of time. f

Another object of my invention is to provide a convertible table anddrawing board structure that shall be free fromv unsightly mechanism foreffecting the conversion.

VAnother object of my invention is to provide a drawing board structure`wherein the board may be moved by a slight touch applied tosubstantially any part thereof.

Another object of my invention is to provide a combined table anddrawing board structure in which a portion of the means for supportingthe table board above a floor shall also support the drawing board abovethe table board.

Another object of my invention is to support a drawing board-above atable at an angle thereto at which both pencils and pens may eiectivelybe employedin working thereon.

A further object of my invention is to provide a combined table anddrawing board structure that shall be simple and durable inconstruction, economical to manufacture and effective in its operation;

With such objects in view,-as well as other advantages which may beincident to the utilization of the improvement, the invention consistsin the parts and` combinations thereof VYhereinafter set forth andclaimed, with the understanding that the several necessary elementsconstituting the same may be variedin proportion', arrangement andtexture without departingfrom lthe nature and scope of the invention. v

AParticularly inthe use of relatively large drawing boards, of Vtheordinary type, it is necessary for the draftsrnen to .be on their feet agreat part of the time, during which they are working on the boards, andto do a considerable amount of stretching and bending of their bodies toreach various distant parts of the boards. Y

To alleviate this condition to a certain extent, high stools areemployed but this expedient leaves something to be desired since thestools are stationary and require the draftsmen to move themselves andthe stools about to a considerable extent.

There are the further considerations of loss of time and the adverseeffect in the quality of th work which are substantial. Y I

There is a structure including an ordinary sloping drawing board on atable or desk, in which the drawing board is useful substantially onlyas a drawing board andV the table vis of little use aside fromsupporting the drawing board, when the drawing board is on it. InV otherwords, the drawing board itself does not constitute Va good table ordesk, and the latteris of little use for ordinary desk or table work,unless the drawing board is removed. In the ordinary structures,frequent removal and replacement of the drawing board are unhandyoperations.

When an operator requires frequent access to, or use of, a drawing boardand a table or desk, his preferred recourse ordinarily is to havepermanent installations oi'eacli.v This condition requires a substantialamount of space.

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 362,- 257, filed May l1, 1929,and subsequently issued as patent No. 1,898,514, February 21, 1933, isshown a combined drawing board and table structure constructed, and foroperation generally, in accordance with the present invention. Itcomprises a table abovel which a drawing board is mounted at an anglefor movement between positionsabove and below the front edge of thetable, whereby the operator may sit in comfort in an ordinary chair andhave, almost instantly at his desire, a table or a drawing board, eachin its complete character separate and independent of the other.

Howeven'the device of the co-pending application has several featuresover which the present invention is a substantial improvement, such asthe angle at which the drawing boardis operated, the" economyy ofmanufacture, the mechanical balance Yof the parts, the ease of operationand other features.

It is my aim to overcome all of the objections to the use of the usualdevices above-mentioned, as well 'as to improve the structure lof thecopending application,'and-accordingly, in practicing mypresent-invention, I provide means for concealing the working parts,members constituting parts of both 'the table and drawing boardfeatures, a single shaft or element for a plurality of iiexible elementsin a counterweight mechanism, a novel arrangement ofguide elements,

for the drawing board and other features,`to be herein fully set forth.

In order to make the invention more clearly understood, means are shownin the accompanying drawings for carrying the same into practical effectwithout limiting the improvements in their useful applications, to theparticular constructions which, for the purpose of explanation, are madethe subject of illustration.

Figure 1, of the accompanying drawings, is a front elevational View of astructure embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, taken at right angles to Fig. 1, ofthe structure shown therein,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail View of the righthand portion of thedevice, as viewed in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a view a right angles to Fig. 3 of the structure thereof,parts being broken away for clearness,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view, taken along the line V-V of Fig. 4,and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view, taken along the line-VI-Vlof Fig. 4.

The device comprises, in general, a table 2, a drawingboard 4, a framestructure 6 for supportingv the board 4, on the table 2 and meansincluding elements 8, 10, 12, 14 and 15 for controlling themovement ofthe board 4.

The table 2 comprises a table board 16, front 1egs'18 and rear legs 20that constitute portions of the frame structure 6. The table 2, which,for purposes of illustration only, is shown as an ordinary table, may beof any desired styleor type, or may be a desk having a center drawer,side drawers, or any other suitabley appurtenances.

The drawing board 4 is of a usual type for use in oflices, homes orother places by draftsmen, artists and others, and preferably consistsof soft wood fortheY ready reception of thumb tacks. However, thisfeature is purely incidental and may be varied at will to render theboard of any desired character. The elements 8, corresponding to theusual reinforcing flanges or ribs of drawing boards, are preferablyprovided withA deeper central portions 9.

The frame structure 6 comprises upright members 22, constitutingcontinuationsv of the rear legs 20 ofthe table 2, as above set forth, oras corner braces of a desk, the members 20 and 22 at eachend of the rearside of the table or desk preferably being in one homogeneous part.These parts are also, each of hollow construction, and preferably ofmetal such asl a tubeor'channel of any suitable cross-sectional area,although tubes of rectangular cross-sectional area are preferred forreasons which will hereinafter appear.

Parallel arms or members 24, preferably of channel-shape, subtend theangle between the table board 2 and the upright members 22, preferablyat an angle of approximately thirty seven degrees to the vertical,although substantial variations from this precise angle may be-employed,depending on the use to which the deviceY is to be put, the character ofits surroundings and other factors.

Brackets 26, or Vequivalent means of any suitable construction andartistic design, are suitably secured to, or constitute parts of, theupper ends of the upright elements 22 and, as shown, constitute topcovers for the elements 22 having vertical apertures 28 therethrough andupstanding portions 30; the upper ends of the sloping arms 24 beingparts of, or suitably supported by, the brackets 26 or adjacent parts.The brackets 26 and other parts adjacent thereto may be, in actualpractice, of morefornate design, and the sprocket-wheel elements 12enclosedthereby.

A hollow cross arm 32, such as a channel member or tube of any desiredcross-sectional area but preferably of uniform cylindrical shape, isrigidly connected between the upright members 22 in register withopenings in the upstanding portions 30 of the brackets 26.

The lower ends of the diagonal arms 24 are preferably disposed inrelatively widely spaced relation along the forward portion of the tableboard 16 to which they are preferably permanently secured, in which casethe upper ends thereof are also preferably permanently secured inposition.

The diagonal arms 24 are preferably disposed with the open channel sidesfacing each other at the adjacentk inner vertical-plane sides thereof sothat guide rollers 34 and 36, secured to the elements 8 at the undersideof the drawing board 4, as by screw-threaded shafts 41, may operate in,and be concealed by, the arms.

Y The portion-,9 of each element 8 preferably carries two of the rollers34 to roll along the upper surface of the lower side wall of theadjacent diagonal channel arm 24 and one roller 36 to! roll along theunder surface ofr the upper side Wall thereof; the rollers ineachchannel being spaced therealong, to provide. stability for the drawingboard. The rollers are preferably mounted on roller bearings 35 andprovided with yieldable tread elements 37 to assist in easy and quietoperation thereof. Equivalent arrangements may be employed to limit theboard 4 to the exact movement desired and free from appreciablemovement. in any other direction.

The shaft or spindle 14 extends through, and beyond each end of,the'hollow cross arm 32, as well as through openings in the upstandingportions 30, if desired, and carries the sprocketwheels 12v in fixedrelation thereto adjacent to each end thereof, as by pins or keys 19.Roller bearings 21, held in position by sleeves 23, secured to the shaft14, operate-between the shaft 14 and the brace 32 to render easier the,vrotation of the shaft. The iiexible elements or chains 10, concealed inthe diagonal channel arms 24 and upright members 22, are connectedbetween the elements 8, under the drawing board 4, and weight members15, in the upright members 22, and are adapted to ride over thesprocket-wheels 12.

In the device of the co-pending application above mentioned, there. areno elements corresponding to the hollow stationary cross arm 32 and therotatable shaft or spindle 14 herein. In their stead, there is but asingle cross element, in

the form of a rod, tube, or bar which acts as a In the presentstructure, since the sprocket- J wheels are xed to the same shaft, aslight force applied at any position on the drawing board, permits theboard to be readily moved. This feature is a great convenience to theoperator, who

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Vin the tubes 22 silent.

vare disposed; this feature providing probably the most economicalstructure for preventing torsional twist of the chains 10 and having acontour in accordance with, and most'generally appropriate to, thedesign of modern furniture. Elements 17, preferably of yieldablematerial, such as rubber, lead or micarta, may be provided on the weightmembers 15 in the formof sleeves, or'otherwise, to render the movementthereof j Springs 19 adjacent to the bottom of the tubes, orVrectangular columns enclosing the weight members, may be employed asshockabsorbers for theweight members at the lowerrnost positionsthereof.

In operation, the operator sits in front of the structure to employ thesame either as a drawing or artists board or as a table or desk. When inuse as the latter, theA drawing board 4 is in an upper position entirelyclear of the table, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so as not to interferewith the full free use of the latter; the operator being able to leanforward on the table or to vfreely reach over and about it, withoutinterference from the drawing board.

When it is desired to employ the drawing board, the latter may be pulleddownwardly by a slight touch of the hand applied at any part of theboard, to the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, it not vbeingnecessary to grasp it strongly or to apply the force at any particularplace. LIn the latter position of the drawing board, the operator maysit in comfort in an ordinary chair and work with Vfacility andsubstantially minimum effort over the major portion of the area of theboard.

By such construction and operation, the invention affords muchconvenience, comfort and facility of manipulation to the operators whomay so readily convert the structure from one to the other of its formsas to encourage faster and better work, and to render the manipulationof the structure a pleasure rather than a task. The conversion being anextremely easy and rapid operation, encourages recourse to it at theslightest desire, neither form being such that there is any reluctancetoward effecting the change.

The angle of slope of the board 4 is chosen to provide comfort andefliciency, as well as to permit the use of pens, brushes and the likeand' to preclude undue running of any ordinary light liquid layerapplied to the drawing paper or other medium employed.

A usual ledge 38 is provided preferably at, or

adjacent to, the lower edge of the board 4 as a repository for pencils,erasers, pens, brushes,Y

.' and effectively, irrespective of the ordinary slight `limits withoutundue manufacturing effort, such as delicate machining, is veryeconomical to manufacture, and effective in its operation, and

provides advantages in the way of comfort, ease of manipulation,improved quality of work and other features not known by me to be evenclosely approached in any other device for similar work.

I claim as 'my invention: y

1.' In combinationfa desk or table having a working top surface, adrawing board support attachedto said desk or table including a guide, adrawing Vboard mounted on said support and adapted'to be adjustablymoved on said guide relative to said desk or table top from a positionadjacent to said top to a position spaced sufficiently therefrom topermit working on said deskymeans for preventing binding of theboardrelative to said guide, and means for maintaining said board in adjustedposition.

`2. In combination, a desk or table having a working top surface, adrawing boardrsupport attached to said desk or table, a drawinglboardmounted on said support for adjustable movement relative to said desk ortable top from a position adjacent to said top to a position spacedsufciently therefrom to permit working on said desk, and means includinga counterbalancing device for maintaining said board in adjustedposition, said counterbalancing device including a plurality of spacedflexible elements each connected to the board, relatively fixedrotatable members on which said flexible elements move and weight meansfor said flexible elements.

3. In combination, a desk or table having a working top surface, adrawing board support attached to said desk or table including a hollowportion, a drawing board mounted on said support for adjustable movementrelative to said desk or table top from a position adjacent to said topto a position spaced suflciently therefrom to permit working on saiddesk, and means including a counterbalancing device for maintaining said1lb board in adjusted position, said counterbalanoing device including aweight member enclosed by said hollow portion.

4, In combination, a desk or table having a working top surface, membersconstituted both as supports for a drawing board and as supports for thetable, a drawing board mounted on said supports for adjustable movementrelative to said desk or table top from a position adjacent to said topto a position spaced sufficiently therefrom to permit working on saiddesk, and means for maintaining said board in adjusted position.

5. In combination, a desk or table having a working top surface, hollowmembers constituted both as supports for a drawing board and as supportsfor the table, Ya drawing board mounted on said supports for adjustablemovement relative to said desk or table top from a position adjacent tosaid top to a position spaced sufciently therefrom to permit working onsaid desk, and means including a counterbalancing device for maintainingsaid board in adjusted position, said counterbalancing means includingweight members having portions in said hollow members.

6. In combination, a desk or table having a g5 working top surface, adrawing-board supporting element attached to said table, a drawing-boardelement mounted on said supporting element for adjustable movementrelative to said desk or table top from a position adjacent to said topto a posi-V 1g@ position.

7. In combination, a desk or table having a le@ working top surfaceandhollow upright rear legs extending above said surface, a shaftsupported by said legs laterally thereto above said surface, rotatableelements fixed relative to the shaft, a drawing board movable in a planesubtending the angle between said surface and said legs between aposition adjacent to said top and a position spaced sufficientlytherefrom to permit working on said desk, means cooperating with saidlegs for supporting the drawing board in said plane, flexible elementsextending from said drawing board over said rotatable elements anddownwardly into said legs, and weight means secured to said flexibleelements below said rotatable elements.

8. In combination, a desk or table having a working top surface andtubular upright rear legs extending above said surface, a tubular braceextending between said legs above said surface, a shaft in said brace,rotatable elements xed relative to the shaft adjacent to said legs,beams extending diagonally downward from positions on said legs adjacentto said shaft tol positions adjacent to the forward edge of said top, adrawing board mounted on said beams for movement from a position belowsaid top to a position spaced sufciently above said top to permitworking on said desk, weight members in said legs, and exible elementsextending from said drawing board over said rotatable elements anddownwardly into said legs to said weight members.

FRANZ WALTER WILHELM.

